Humanitarian Bulletin Occupied Palestinian Territory MAY 2018
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Humanitarian Bulletin occupied Palestinian territory MAY 2018 In this issue Gaza’s health sector struggles to cope with massive influx of HIGHLIGHTS casualties amid pervasive shortages .............................................4 ● Over 13,000 Palestinians injured since the 53 per cent of Palestinians in Gaza live in poverty, despite start of the Gaza demonstrations, exceeding humanitarian assistance ...............................................................8 the number of injuries during the 2014 hostilities, and further straining the already Humanitarian impact of settlements in Palestinian limited capacity of Gaza’s health system. neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem: evictions and displacements ........................................................12 ● The continuation of food assistance WHO. Photo credit: programmes targeting over 1.2 million poor © Increase in settler violence during Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during the Health personnel giving first aid to those injured east of the first four months of 2018 .......................................................14 second half of 2018 is at risk due to severe Khan Yunis, 4 May 2018. funding shortfalls. ● 84 settler attacks resulting in Palestinian casualties or property damage in the first OVERVIEW four months of 2018, the highest such figure since 2014. The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate. Gaza has been ● Palestinian Bedouin community in the tense since 30 March, with Palestinians holding weekly demonstrations along Israel’s outskirts of East Jerusalem, in Area C of the West Bank, at heightened risk of forcible perimeter fence as part of the ‘Great March of Return’. As of 31 May, Israeli forces had transfer, following a final ruling by the Israeli killed 128 Palestinians, the vast majority during the demonstrations, and injured over Supreme Court. 13,000, including more than 3,600 by live ammunition, raising serious concerns about MAY FIGURES excessive use of force. Palestinians killed (direct conflict) 81 The enormous volume of injuries already exceeds the number of injuries during the 2014 hostilities. On 23 May, following a visit to health facilities in Gaza, the UNRWA Palestinians * injured (direct conflict) 7,170 Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl declared: “I truly believe that much of Israelis killed (direct conflict) 0 the world completely underestimates the extent of the disaster in human terms that Israelis injured (direct conflict) 9 occurred in the Gaza Strip since the marches began on 30 March […] I was also struck Structures demolished not only by the number of injured but also by the nature of the injuries [...] The pattern in the West Bank 30 of small entry wounds and large exit wounds, indicates ammunition used caused People displaced severe damage to internal organs, muscle tissue and bones.” in the West Bank 43 *West Bank injuries covered until 21 May only The main article in this month’s bulletin concerns the difficulties that Gaza’s health HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE sector has been experiencing in coping with these injuries. Medical supplies are PLAN 2018 significantly depleted and access to healthcare for non-trauma patients is being compromised, with non-surgical wards converted to surgical wards to cope with the 540 million (US$) huge influx of trauma patients. Ministry of Health (MoH) hospitals have needed to Requested suspend all outpatient clinics during the demonstrations and cancel all elective surgery procedures, to deal with the massive influx of wounded. These developments have 18.2% funded exacerbated the already fragile situation of the health system in Gaza as a result of over 10 years of blockade, the deepening intra-Palestinian political divide, a deteriorating 18.2% Funded energy crisis, and inconsistent payment of public sector medical personnel. The situation was exacerbated by a temporary escalation between 28 and 30 May, the 540 most serious since the 2014 hostilities. Palestinian armed groups in Gaza million (US$) requested fired over 200 rockets and mortars at Israel, most of which were intercepted 74% in the air or fell in open areas, resulting in a few Israeli injuries and limited 81.8% Unmet damage, including to a kindergarten. Israeli forces fired tank shells and requirement 2 | oPt Humanitarian Bulletin carried out airstrikes on 65 targets in Gaza, killing four members of armed groups and damaging numerous military sites. Although the current round of violence appears to be over, the flare-up is “a warning to all how close to the brink of war we are every day”, as noted by Special Coordinator Mladenov in his briefing to the Security Council on 30 May. The rise in violence and casualties is taking place against the backdrop of dire living conditions in Gaza. Another of this Bulletin’s articles highlights a recent survey by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) which reveals that poverty rates in Gaza have increased from 38.8 per cent in 2011 to 53 per cent by the end of 2017, affecting one million people, including over 400,000 children. Poor people are defined as those living on less than US$4.6 per day, which PCBS estimates is the minimum to cover basic household needs, including food, which accounts for almost 35 per cent of household consumption in Gaza. The United Nations, through UNRWA and World Food Programme (WFP), has “I truly believe that much significantly increased its food assistance caseload in recent years: UNRWA currently of the world completely provides food assistance to almost one million refugees in Gaza, and a further 245,000 underestimates the extent severely food-insecure non-refugees are targeted by WFP. However, both agencies report of the disaster in human severe funding shortfalls: of the $224.8 million requested in the 2018 Humanitarian terms that occurred in the Response Plan to cover food security needs in the Gaza Strip, only $37.7 million, or 16.7 Gaza Strip since the marches per cent of the requirement, has been received so far, jeopardizing the continuity of the began on 30 March” programmes during the second half of the year. UNRWA’s Commissioner- In the West Bank, two Bulletin items address issues of longstanding concern: Israeli settler General Pierre Krähenbühl violence against Palestinians, which has been on the rise since 2017, and the humanitarian impact of the continuing efforts of Israeli settler organizations to take control of properties within Palestinian neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem. On the latter issue, a case study addresses the current hardships of the Qirresh family who were evicted from their home in the Old City of Jerusalem in September 2016, following a court ruling. Two families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood are currently at imminent risk of eviction in the same context. Also of concern, on 24 May, the Israeli High Court of Justice issued a final ruling on the longstanding case of the Palestinian Bedouin community of Khan Al Ahmar, which paved the way for the demolition of the entire community, including a donor-funded school also serving other Bedouin communities in the area, on grounds of lack of building permits, and the forcible transfer of its residents. This is one of 18 communities located in or next to an area slated in part for the strategic E1 settlement plan. On 30 May, the Israeli authorities approved a planning scheme providing for the construction of 92 new housing units in the Kfar Adumim settlement, immediately adjacent to Khan al Ahmar, which has also petitioned the High Court for the implementation of the outstanding demolition orders against the community. www.ochaopt.org | [email protected] | facebook.com/ochaopt This report was prepared by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in collaboration with humanitarian partners. MASS CASUALTIES IN THE CONTEXT OF DEMONSTRATIONS IN THE GAZA STRIP 30 MARCH31 MAY TOTAL PALESTINIAN CASUALTIES TOTAL HOSPITALIZED INJURIES ,15** * 11 Men Deaths 128 1 Boys 1,2 , 1 Girl Gas inhalation Adults 1,1 , hildren Inuries live Injuries ammunition 13,35 te Males ,2 1, Deaths 21 1 1 7 8 2 63 5 8 Other Females 443 1,23 2,5 2 1,3 Rubber bullets Hospitalized 963 2 646 Injuries 495 56 84 MR - 12 1-1 2-2 2- PRI -1 11-1 1-2 2-1 - 5 April PRI PRI PRI May May May May May * This figure includes 1 Palestinians (two of them children) killed in unclear circumstances during dditional ,1 were treated in field medical trauma stabilization points. the 1 May demonstrations, as well as 16 Palestinians (including one child) killed since 30 March in contexts other than demonstrations; among the latter are five people whose bodies are being reportedly withheld by the Israeli authorities. emonstration Camps Ere Crin Protest site on 14 May Gaza H H H H H X eaths 1,308 H H X Hospitalized injuries H H H Hospital Gaza NoGo one 300 metres 2,100 Karni 35 ¹º» ullypartially operating crossing ¹º» Closed crossing 1,0 H H 2 1,85 83 Israel H 1 H H 35 H H H Rafah Egypt H SALAH ALDIN GATE Sufa RAFAH CROSSING 13 erem Salm Crin Source of casualty data: Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza Data as of 31 May 2018 4 | oPt Humanitarian Bulletin GAZA’S HEALTH SECTOR STRUGGLES TO COPE WITH MASSIVE INFLUX OF CASUALTIES AMID PERVASIVE SHORTAGES This article was contributed by The World Health Organization In the wake of the ‘Great March of Return’ demonstrations since 30 March, Gaza’s already overstretched health sector has been struggling to cope with the mass influx of casualties. This burden has exacerbated the long-term shortage of medicines and limited capacities of health facilities, driven by the huge electricity deficit and the ongoing salary crisis affecting government employees, among other reasons. Health cluster partners have responded to meet the increased health needs arising from injuries © Photo by OCHA during the demonstrations. On each Friday since Medical trauma stabilization point next to tent 30 March, the MoH, along with the Palestinian demonstration camp east of Gaza city.